Fold Construction Paper

Fold the construction paper in half, so the short sides meet. Press your finger along the fold to crease.

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Place Paper And Fold

Place the folded paper over the knee of one of the legs in the spot you want to create your patch. You may want to try on your jeans and mark the spot with a piece of tape or a pin before this step. Fold the paper, so that the edge meets the side seam of the jeans and crease.

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Fold Other Side

Without moving the paper, repeat on the other side of the knee, folding right along where the paper meets the side seam.

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Cut Shapes

Unfold the paper, and carefully cut out your two shapes. They should be almost square with two slightly angled sides, depending on the shape and fit of your jeans.

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Trace Shapes

Using your permanent marker, trace the outline of the paper shapes onto the back side of the velvet, leaving a bit of space between the two.

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Cut Out Fabric Shapes

Cut out the fabric shapes, leaving about one half-inch of fabric outside the lines. (Don't cut on the lines!)

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Iron Fabric

Using the heat setting specified for your fabric, fold the velvet over on the marker lines, and iron so the folds stay in place. Try to get your fold line to be as close to the marker line as possible. Repeat on four sides of each patch.

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Pin Patch

Place the velvet patch over one of the knees, and pin in place. Try to get the edges lined up with the side seams, and be careful not to pin through the back of the leg.

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Repeat On Other Knee

Repeat pinning on the other knee. Line the legs of your jeans side by side to check that the patches are in the same spot on each leg.

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Sew Patches

Thread your needle with 2-3 feet of embroidery floss, and knot the end with a 2-inch tail. Start the first stitch going in toward the patch. Pull the yarn through, then tuck the tail under the patch so it will be hidden.

Continue stitching around the patch. Each stitch should go under the fabric from the outside, then up through the patch close to the seam. Pull through and repeat, so your stitches are close together. This is called a "whip stitch"; it helps to pinch next to where you are sewing with your spare hand, to be sure you are not sewing through the back of the jeans.

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Finish Sewing Patches

When your embroidery floss runs out, loop it through itself to create a knot, tuck the tail under the patch to hide it, and begin with a new piece. When you have stitched all around the patch, tie a really good knot, sew two more stitches to hide the knot, and cut off the remaining floss. Repeat on the other leg.